The present invention concerns a method by which a plurality of schedules may be kept for a single individual and entries made to the schedules may be reconciled to a single schedule.
With the advent of increasing sophistication and miniaturization of computing devices, a significant amount of processing power may now be included in a hand-held computing device. One area in which this increased processing power has been utilized is in the area of allowing a schedule or calendar to be implemented by a hand-held computer. For example, the Wizard, available from Sharp Electronic Corporation having a business address of P.O. Box 650 Mahwah, N.J. 07430, is a hand-held device which is able to maintain a calendar or schedule. Other similar products are available, for example, the Boss is available from Casio Electronics Company having a business address at 570 Mount Pleasant Ave. Dover, N.J. 07801.
While keeping a schedule on a hand-held computer allows for great portability of the schedule, it can provide for difficulties when it is necessary to make new entries to or deletions from the schedule by a person who does not currently have the hand-held computer in his possession. For example, when a person on a business trip takes along his hand-held computer, the schedule is then unavailable to be modified by a secretary at the home office.
One solution to the dilemma is to maintain more than one schedule. For example, in addition to a schedule on a hand-held computer, a schedule may be maintained on a main computer such as a personal computer or mini computer. For example, such a schedule is included in the product HPDesk Manager available from Hewlett Packard Company having a business address of 3000 Hanover Street, Palo Alto, Calif., 94304. The HPDesk Manager runs on an HP 3000 Computer, also available from Hewlett Packard Company.
One problem with maintaining two schedules for a single individual, however, is that entries may be added and deleted from each schedule independent of the other schedule. When the schedules are compared, entries may be listed which appear on one schedule and not the other. It can be difficult at times to determine whether an entry appearing on only one schedule should be added to the schedule on which it does not appear, or deleted from the schedule on which it does appear. It is necessary, therefore, to have some means by which the schedules may be reconciled.